EVENT REPORT: ADEBIMPE YOUTH ALIVE CARE FOUNDATION #PHASEOUTBULLYING CAMPAIGN LAUNCH WHICH HELD ON 4TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2017 AT THE EKITI STATE DEPUTY GOVERNOR’S OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM.

Improvement of psycho-social development has been the major thrust of our research and operations for a long period of time; it is enshrined in the vision upon which our founder Adebimpe Ayodele founded this organization.

Inauguration of the organization in 2005 hosted well over 200 participants, consisting teenagers and youths, parents, educators and community stakeholders at large, this was where the mandate to revolutionize the status quo especially in areas of leadership, growth and development.

We have since then engaged in the following grass-root activities, especially within under-served communities in Nigeria.

• ·    Literacy campaigns for teenagers and youths who lack access to adequate education or academic opportunities
•  Learning and Development opportunities for youngsters (Workshops, Seminars, Media Engagements, etc.)

#TeachSDGs to #PhaseOutBullying Campaign Launch Event

The event hosted 40+ participants in Ekiti State, Nigeria was organized by our organization, Adebimpe Youth Alive Care Foundation, it was an opportunity to discuss topical issues around bullying and other psycho-social development challenges in Nigeria. Also at the core of the event was the introduction to the United Nations global goals for sustainable development (SDGs).

 Participants started arriving around 10:05am and registration began immediately. 

As a way of getting the participants acquainted with the purpose of the gathering, introductory videos into bullying and UN SDGs were projected while participants were also briefed on social media engagement and plans for the day. We started the event officially with an opening prayer and rendition of the Nigerian National anthem.

The opening remark by the founder of AYACF was brief and concise, especially on the focus of the organization and the vision that governs the operations of the organization. Also outlined by the founder, Mrs. Adebimpe Ayodele was a brief history and accomplishment of the organization among teenagers and youth in Ekiti state and Nigeria at large.

Teaching the UN SDGs

The first session was facilitated by Mr. Emmanuel Ogbebor who introduced the audience to the United Nations sustainable development goals in simple terms using materials derived from World’s Largest Lesson, an organization that provides open source materials that aids to #TeachSDGs to young persons. In an introductive quick show of hands, only 10% of the participants had previous knowledge of the SDGs, this made the session more educative as we had more interactions in from of questions, queries and contribution sat the end of the forty (40) minutes session.  It was obvious that passion for SDGs had been ignited in the hearts of the participants and their interactions showed that they had thirst for more knowledge on how to salvage the opportunities presented to achieve the global goals.

It was an exhilarating experience that was further improved by our live media engagements with @WrldsLargestLessn and Jennifer Williams of @teachSDGs.

#PhaseOutBullying Campaign Launch

Briefly before the launch of the campaign, which was the main focus of this event, there was a brief app demonstration by team from White Spaces, a co-innovation hub based in Akure, Ondo State. They presented BANTA, an application recently built and currently in the beta (testing) phase, this app provides users with anonymity to express their true feelings and emotions without worrying about criticism of their person or intimidation. Participants were advised to download and try the app via www.getbanta.com to test and also send in their reviews.

This presentation ushered us into the launch of our #PhaseOutBullying campaign, which was initiated with a keynote address and parley session facilitated by our Campaign Officer and visioner of the campaign, Mr. Olaniyi Ayodele. As simplicity is our practice, the session also had short video presentation (the story of Amanda Todd, a victim of bully and social exclusion who killed herself in October, 2012). Following this was the presentation of statistical and theoretical background to this research as developed by us, and also how it is deeply rooted in our vision to improve psycho-social development of teenagers and youths by connecting the dots of learning opportunity and development.

The speaker encouraged participants to engage with the campaign hashtag on social media #PhaseOutBullying and also follow and interact with us on all our media pages @ayacfoundation via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Participants also took a pledge the following pledge;

·         I ……………. Publicly promise to help raise awareness of bullying within my immediate environment. I will kick against bullying, I will fight for the bullied and I choose not to be a bystander anymore. So help me God!

This session ushered us into the official campaign launch by the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Professor. Kolapo Olusola, who was duly represented by Mr. Oyeleke Dare Ezekiel. He reiterated some points he recorded during both sessions and sees the need for participants engaging with the already outlined opportunities for change. After which he launched the campaign and dedicated it to God, he furthermore encourages the sustainability of the project.

Plans and Opportunities for Change in furtherance of the #PhaseOutBullying campaign

• ·    Follow up platforms to Teach SDGs to more teenagers and youths in Ekiti State and other South Western states of Nigeria.
•     Awareness of Bullying in Primary, Junior/Secondary, and Tertiary Institutions in Ekiti State
•   Media awareness; engaging bullies, bullied and bystanders via traditional media (radio, television, print) and digital media (social media platforms)
•     Physical and Digital security trainings
•     Social and Digital inclusion programs
•     Psychosocial support training/programs for educators, caregivers and wards.
•    E-mentoring and E-parenting platforms for counseling and mentoring supports.
•   Collaborations with other NGos, CSOs, FBOs and other community stakeholders to further the campaign and carry out proper intervention programmes
•     Partnership with Government bodies and education/academic regulatory bodies in Ekiti state.

We appreciate His Excellency, Professor. Kolapo Olusola, Deputy Governor of Ekiti State for his support and continuous show of love towards teenagers and youths. We also appreciate Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), The World’s Largest Lesson and #TeachSDGs for the provision of open source materials and other intellectual items used in putting this initiative together.